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Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 3: Force War
The alien Rakata--powerful users of the dark side of the Force--invade the Tython system to enslave the Je'daii! With Forcesabers in hand, the Je'daii, teamed with mad Daegen Lok and the mysterious Force Hound Xesh, meet the Rakata and their fierce Flesh Raiders in battle. But an attack on the Rakatan stronghold leads to Xesh's capture, the revelation of a spy, and new knowledge about a mysterious device on the Je'daii's own homeworld. When the direction of the war is changed, all hope depends on the love between two young Je'daii!
"Ostrander and Duursema have reverse-engineered the setting, characters, and Force philosophies to create a fully believable 'real' ancient history of the Jedi." -Fan Girl Blog
"Ostrander and Duursema have reverse-engineered the setting, characters, and Force philosophies to create a fully believable 'real' ancient history of the Jedi." -Fan Girl Blog
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2014
15 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
About the author
John Ostrander
2,087 books171 followersJohn Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 15, 2017
Kinda cheesy – but action packed escapist entertainment. Enjoy seeing the early days of the Jedi (in this case Je’daii). I believe this is the end of the earliest graphic novel series in the Star Wars universe (Canon vs Legends be damned!) I am working my way through all the books, so another milestone reached!
I think the artwork in this series was an improvement over the previous series. Maybe still a couple of odd faces, but nothing like the faces from the previous one.
One oddity I noticed with the artwork is there is a main character who is of the race I believe all the early Sith came from and they are red with fleshy triangles hanging from their cheeks. For a couple of frames part way through the book, his fleshy triangles disappeared. I did a double take and had to look back to see if it was the same character. Then, I turned the page and they were back – weird! (see pic below)
So, I give this one 3.5 stars and the whole series 4 stars – Rounding up on this specific volume for Goodreads purposes. I was entertained and now I want more Star Wars – so, it served its purpose!
I think the artwork in this series was an improvement over the previous series. Maybe still a couple of odd faces, but nothing like the faces from the previous one.
One oddity I noticed with the artwork is there is a main character who is of the race I believe all the early Sith came from and they are red with fleshy triangles hanging from their cheeks. For a couple of frames part way through the book, his fleshy triangles disappeared. I did a double take and had to look back to see if it was the same character. Then, I turned the page and they were back – weird! (see pic below)
So, I give this one 3.5 stars and the whole series 4 stars – Rounding up on this specific volume for Goodreads purposes. I was entertained and now I want more Star Wars – so, it served its purpose!
June 19, 2020
The Dawn of the Jedi series finishes. The Rakata have come to the Je'daii homeworld. The Infinite Empire is losing their connection to the Force, panic-stricken they want to conquer Tython, a Force rich planet.
While the story is good, I did have a slight problem with Xesh going light, then going dark and then back to the light side. It happens a bit too fast for my taste. Still no more spoilers. One interesting side note- at the end, Dagen Lok espouses the use of the Force-Saber and further investigation of the dark side of the Force. We see the start of the schism that will eventually lead to the Dark Jedi leaving the Republic space to settle amongst the Sith.
A good enough story with pretty good art. While nothing amazing, I did appreciate it for the look into the start of the Jedi order of the "current" timeline.
While the story is good, I did have a slight problem with Xesh going light, then going dark and then back to the light side. It happens a bit too fast for my taste. Still no more spoilers. One interesting side note- at the end, Dagen Lok espouses the use of the Force-Saber and further investigation of the dark side of the Force. We see the start of the schism that will eventually lead to the Dark Jedi leaving the Republic space to settle amongst the Sith.
A good enough story with pretty good art. While nothing amazing, I did appreciate it for the look into the start of the Jedi order of the "current" timeline.
November 7, 2014
Well, it didn’t get any better, but it didn’t get any worse. With each instalment in this series I find that a gripe I previously had is corrected, but I have a new gripe which prevents me from rating it any higher than its predecessor. With this final volume in the series we’re right in the heart of the story here, so I’m happy from the point of view of being right in the thick of things. At last all the threads introduced previously are coming together, and indeed a resolution has to be reached. There’s certainly plenty of action to be had, and the volume is chock full of lavish combat scenes. I would expect no less from Jan Duursema.
I felt a little let down from a character point of view. Overall, now that the story is complete, I feel that Xesh was one weird dude throughout. Just when I thought he was beginning to make sense he goes off the rails again here. His mental block is removed so he realises what his original mission was. Fine. All well and good. That’d probably cause anyone to rethink their situation. But then he just acts with all the emotion of a statue, until the very last moment possible, when it seems like his Je’daii love has possibly been killed. Dude! And then he’s forgiven, no problems, at the end! Shae says that it’s the fact he made the right decision in the end that counts, but I’m more sceptical. If it’d been me I probably would’ve tried to kill the Rakata at the first plausible opportunity, or run back to the Je’daii and tell them the Rakata’s plans. None of this dilly-dallying make your mind up!
We do get some further insight into the background of the Rakata and their plan here. And the infinity gate was pretty damn cool. Or it would have been if it didn’t keep feeling like it was ripped directly from Stargate. So that was kind of a plus point. But I still felt like it wasn’t enough. I needed a lot more about the Rakata’s background and a reason to really loathe them. I was pretty satisfied with Tasha Ryo’s ending, even though I wanted to see more of her. But Sek’nos Rath? *shakes head* Disappointing. I kind of lost respect for his character when he didn’t see through Trill’s manipulations, and felt he didn’t step up in the end.
The story felt short too. I don’t think a three volume collection was enough to really tell a story of this scope, to be honest. I did enjoy what there was, but I kept wanting more, kept thinking “if only they’d included this here”, and so forth. Since I did enjoy the series throughout, but it didn’t live up to what I hoped it would be, I’m going to rate it the same as I rated the previous volumes – as something that I liked well enough, but didn’t hit the highs it could have.
7 out of 10
January 12, 2016
Really enjoyed this. It's about before the Old Republic, and before there were Sith( they were called Force Hounds). Star Wars pre-history story.
January 5, 2020
The origin of the Jedi began too late, as seen in the first part force Storm - and as seen here, it also ended too early.
We get a bit of a glimpse on how the lightsabers came to be, but nothing of how they were purified and ceased being powered by the dark side. We get the end of one war, but the eventual spread of the Jedi across the cosmos is reduced to a single throwaway line at most. As a prequel and an origin story, it continues to fail and disappoint.
But it's got some likeable heroes, detestable villains, character growth, an awesome moment or two, and some nuance in the usual strict light/dark separation, what with everyone actively using the dark side as a weapon to fight in the war. Which makes sense. The rest of the canon - especially after Disney acquisition - could use some more of this sort.
We get a bit of a glimpse on how the lightsabers came to be, but nothing of how they were purified and ceased being powered by the dark side. We get the end of one war, but the eventual spread of the Jedi across the cosmos is reduced to a single throwaway line at most. As a prequel and an origin story, it continues to fail and disappoint.
But it's got some likeable heroes, detestable villains, character growth, an awesome moment or two, and some nuance in the usual strict light/dark separation, what with everyone actively using the dark side as a weapon to fight in the war. Which makes sense. The rest of the canon - especially after Disney acquisition - could use some more of this sort.
June 27, 2022
Nice ending to the Dawn of the Jedi comic series that leaves you with wanting more and it's sad that it stopped here, could have more issues continuing the stories of the main characters but sadly I searched why the series were cancelled and found that this last volume of the series was released right before Marvel Comics acquired the Star Wars comics from Dark Horse.
Recommended to Star Wars fans for sure!
Recommended to Star Wars fans for sure!
November 9, 2020
I can tell we would have gotten more in this story and now I'm sad because Disney took it from me :(
Also, the Rakata are FREAKY O_O
Also, the Rakata are FREAKY O_O
November 4, 2015
Here we go again, diving one last time into the ancient history of the Star Wars universe. Obviously, this will contain spoilers for the previous volumes of the series, Force Storm and Prisoner Of Bogan.
Jumping forward a year from where we left our heroes, we find the Tython system embroiled in full-scale war. The Rakata have arrived in force, capturing several of the outlying planets before being turned back by the combined forces of the Je’daii and the other Tythans under the command of Daegan Lok. Wielding Forcesabers modeled on that carried by former Force Hound Xesh, the Je’daii walk a fine line in the Force, drawing increasingly on the Dark Side to power their weapons and carry them through battle unscathed. Despite the endless battles facing him and his friends, Xesh is finding himself increasingly in balance as he learns to touch the Light Side of the Force as well as the Dark, helped in no small measure by his growing relationship with Shae Koda. Fighting together the Tythans have managed to stymie the Rakatan advance, but at heavy cost. What they don’t know, however, is that the Rakata want far more than just Tython. They want the Infinity Gate buried beneath it, an ancient piece of tech that would unlock any and every world in the galaxy for conquest….
As with the previous entries, I absolutely loved this one. The one-year jump forward glossed over a number of events that I would have enjoyed getting to see, but given the timing of the license shifting to Marvel, I suspect that this was the only way to get to the conclusion Ostrander & Duursema envisioned before running out of time. I’d love to have a lot more of this series, obviously, but given that events didn’t allow that to happen, this was an incredible conclusion to the series. I would enjoy seeing how the Je’daii evolve into the order we see at the start of the Tales Of The Jedi comics, but that is naught but a pipe dream now that all the relevant media has been relegated to Legends status.
CONTENT: Some violence. Mildly explicit sexual content. Mild to no profanity.
Jumping forward a year from where we left our heroes, we find the Tython system embroiled in full-scale war. The Rakata have arrived in force, capturing several of the outlying planets before being turned back by the combined forces of the Je’daii and the other Tythans under the command of Daegan Lok. Wielding Forcesabers modeled on that carried by former Force Hound Xesh, the Je’daii walk a fine line in the Force, drawing increasingly on the Dark Side to power their weapons and carry them through battle unscathed. Despite the endless battles facing him and his friends, Xesh is finding himself increasingly in balance as he learns to touch the Light Side of the Force as well as the Dark, helped in no small measure by his growing relationship with Shae Koda. Fighting together the Tythans have managed to stymie the Rakatan advance, but at heavy cost. What they don’t know, however, is that the Rakata want far more than just Tython. They want the Infinity Gate buried beneath it, an ancient piece of tech that would unlock any and every world in the galaxy for conquest….
As with the previous entries, I absolutely loved this one. The one-year jump forward glossed over a number of events that I would have enjoyed getting to see, but given the timing of the license shifting to Marvel, I suspect that this was the only way to get to the conclusion Ostrander & Duursema envisioned before running out of time. I’d love to have a lot more of this series, obviously, but given that events didn’t allow that to happen, this was an incredible conclusion to the series. I would enjoy seeing how the Je’daii evolve into the order we see at the start of the Tales Of The Jedi comics, but that is naught but a pipe dream now that all the relevant media has been relegated to Legends status.
CONTENT: Some violence. Mildly explicit sexual content. Mild to no profanity.
April 1, 2016
5 stars
Glad they were able to stop the Rakata and the Flesh Raiders. Also glad that Shae Koda and Xesh/Tau got together.
Can't wait to read more Star Wars comics!!!
Glad they were able to stop the Rakata and the Flesh Raiders. Also glad that Shae Koda and Xesh/Tau got together.
Can't wait to read more Star Wars comics!!!
November 27, 2021
This was a satisfying, if rushed, ending to a series that had a lot of potential. It's a shame the Disney buyout meant an end to this, with so many of the Je'daii going to the dark in place of balance it would have been nice to see the start of the opposite, with some going to the light. But I'm glad the creators were able to end the series properly at least.
December 28, 2022
I liked all 3 volumes of this story but as a whole they lacked a little. Khoul concepts in the formative Je’daii and their home world and Xesh is still a fascinating character. By the end Daegen Lok was the character I wanted to explore more.
May 30, 2025
Not an amazing book, but certainly not awful. I could see some more books being made around this timeline, there’s plenty here to craft. I liked how it still stayed archaic considering the BBY is very far back.
December 26, 2015
Star Wars Legends Project #4
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Force War was released in five issues from November 2013 to March 2014. The trade paperback was released in June 2014. It was written by John Ostrander and pencilled by Jan Duursema, returning to complete the final arc in the Dawn of the Jedi series they began with Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm (my review here) and continued with Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 2: Prisoner of Bogan (my review here).
Force War begins about a year after the end of Prisoner of Bogan, over 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. All of the surviving major characters from the previous arcs reappear here (although a few are definitely parked on the sidelines). The story also introduces the Rakatan Flesh Raiders, who will later appear on Tython during the era surrounding The Old Republic series.
Summary: The Rakata have invaded the Tython system, ravaging and enslaving several worlds and growing ever-closer to the Je'daii homeworld itself. The Je'daii army is led by Daegan Lok, returned from his banishment on the moon of Bogan, and Xesh, former Force Hound of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Armed with Forcesabers, the weapons of their enemies, the Je'daii are in a fight for their lives, even as they dangerously tip the balance of the Force towards the dark side. But none of them understand their enemy's true goal, nor do they suspect the plots he has long-since set in motion to ensure their ultimate defeat.
Review: Finally, it's the pay-off I've been waiting for throughout the previous two volumes! I'm not sure I'd say the epic excitement of the climax improves my opinion of the flaws in the set-up, but those flaws didn't dim my enjoyment of this conclusion, either. Honestly, this arc stands up just fine on its own, but reading the earlier issues does add some valuable weight to the continued development of various character relationships.
Where Force Storm felt like it barely had a story at all, and Prisoner of Bogan felt like a filler to get to the next thing, Force War feels just about right. And we can finally appreciate the tying up of all the loose threads by the end, so that's nice, too. This is the only Dawn of the Jedi entry (novel or comic) that really realizes the potential of the setting and period.
I like that the story drops us right into the middle of the Rakatan invasion rather than picking up right where the last volume ended. There's been enough build-up to this already, and it was a wise decision to dispense with any more. The only nit I have to pick is that Daegan Lok, supposedly a lunatic, and the major villain of the last arc, who was captured and imprisoned at the end of Prisoner of Bogan is . . . suddenly the leader of the Je'daii army? And everything is all cool now, even though he tried to kill a bunch of people including some of the other major characters . . . How did that happen? Oh, well.
There's not really a lot of time to wonder about that, as the plot reels from battle to desperate battle. In-between, we get snatches of the growing relationship between Xesh and the Je'daii Shae Koda, as well as between Xesh and Lok, the closest thing he has to a mentor. The Force Hound's journey is truly the heart of this whole series, and he has grown into a genuinely interesting and worthwhile character with a decent supporting cast. I felt that some of developments with his character in the story's climax were pretty flagrantly recycled from the climax of Prisoner of Bogan, but somehow that didn't lessen their emotional impact.
Aside from Koda, the other two major characters from Force Storm, Sith Je'daii Sek'nos Rath and Twi'lek Seer Tasha Ryo, both have major roles to play, but I was left feeling that they kind of got short shrift in comparison to the others. Tasha in particular is more-or-less side-lined the entire story (just like last time) until the deus ex machina that was inserted so clumsily in the last arc suddenly pops up again.
That said, this was a solid enough conclusion that I would recommend the whole series based on its merits alone. Definitely skip the novel, but be sure to check this out!
B+
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Force War was released in five issues from November 2013 to March 2014. The trade paperback was released in June 2014. It was written by John Ostrander and pencilled by Jan Duursema, returning to complete the final arc in the Dawn of the Jedi series they began with Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm (my review here) and continued with Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 2: Prisoner of Bogan (my review here).
Force War begins about a year after the end of Prisoner of Bogan, over 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. All of the surviving major characters from the previous arcs reappear here (although a few are definitely parked on the sidelines). The story also introduces the Rakatan Flesh Raiders, who will later appear on Tython during the era surrounding The Old Republic series.
Summary: The Rakata have invaded the Tython system, ravaging and enslaving several worlds and growing ever-closer to the Je'daii homeworld itself. The Je'daii army is led by Daegan Lok, returned from his banishment on the moon of Bogan, and Xesh, former Force Hound of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Armed with Forcesabers, the weapons of their enemies, the Je'daii are in a fight for their lives, even as they dangerously tip the balance of the Force towards the dark side. But none of them understand their enemy's true goal, nor do they suspect the plots he has long-since set in motion to ensure their ultimate defeat.
Review: Finally, it's the pay-off I've been waiting for throughout the previous two volumes! I'm not sure I'd say the epic excitement of the climax improves my opinion of the flaws in the set-up, but those flaws didn't dim my enjoyment of this conclusion, either. Honestly, this arc stands up just fine on its own, but reading the earlier issues does add some valuable weight to the continued development of various character relationships.
Where Force Storm felt like it barely had a story at all, and Prisoner of Bogan felt like a filler to get to the next thing, Force War feels just about right. And we can finally appreciate the tying up of all the loose threads by the end, so that's nice, too. This is the only Dawn of the Jedi entry (novel or comic) that really realizes the potential of the setting and period.
I like that the story drops us right into the middle of the Rakatan invasion rather than picking up right where the last volume ended. There's been enough build-up to this already, and it was a wise decision to dispense with any more. The only nit I have to pick is that Daegan Lok, supposedly a lunatic, and the major villain of the last arc, who was captured and imprisoned at the end of Prisoner of Bogan is . . . suddenly the leader of the Je'daii army? And everything is all cool now, even though he tried to kill a bunch of people including some of the other major characters . . . How did that happen? Oh, well.
There's not really a lot of time to wonder about that, as the plot reels from battle to desperate battle. In-between, we get snatches of the growing relationship between Xesh and the Je'daii Shae Koda, as well as between Xesh and Lok, the closest thing he has to a mentor. The Force Hound's journey is truly the heart of this whole series, and he has grown into a genuinely interesting and worthwhile character with a decent supporting cast. I felt that some of developments with his character in the story's climax were pretty flagrantly recycled from the climax of Prisoner of Bogan, but somehow that didn't lessen their emotional impact.
Aside from Koda, the other two major characters from Force Storm, Sith Je'daii Sek'nos Rath and Twi'lek Seer Tasha Ryo, both have major roles to play, but I was left feeling that they kind of got short shrift in comparison to the others. Tasha in particular is more-or-less side-lined the entire story (just like last time) until the deus ex machina that was inserted so clumsily in the last arc suddenly pops up again.
That said, this was a solid enough conclusion that I would recommend the whole series based on its merits alone. Definitely skip the novel, but be sure to check this out!
B+
January 12, 2020
We jump ahead a few more years, into the middle of a Rakatan invasion that has reshaped everything in the DotJ world. Except we didn't have a super solid handle on that to begin with so most of the implications are felt only in broad strokes--war, hardship, etc. Xesh and Shay Coda begin a very abrupt relationship that would have been cool to see develop as a more significant part of the story. Trill is a good foil for Xesh in theory but also doesn't get developed enough to have the impact she could have. In general it just feels like the war runs away with the story here--which isn't surprising, since the war is a much bigger story than the story itself. It's one of those annoying genre fiction tricks, which of coure Star Wars constantly flirts with but in broad strokes manages to avoid: reducing a war to the personal fulfillment of individual heroes.
And of course in order to do that, we need superweapons, which can function as extensions of that heroic will. So here we learn (get ready for a big sigh) that the Tho-Yors, the monoliths that brought 8 random alien species to become Jedi, were actually a series of weapons created by the Kwa (an Ancient Alien) species introduced in a Young Jedi Knights book, specifically to destroy the Rakata. And thus, the act of bringing the pre-Jedi Force Sensitives to Tython and creating the Jedi Order was part of the arming procedure for this anti-Rakata weapon. It's. . . I don't like it. I like the idea that the Jedi are a side-effect of some other, unrelated historical process. . . except, is it really a side effect? Or was it part of the weapon in the first place? There's a Kwa holocron guiding all this, after all, implying they were making the Jedi on purpose. I mean IDK if I have to say much more about it than that it's an Ancient Aliens historical theory made literal. What's the origin of the Jedi? They were made by powerful benevolent aliens to protect the galaxy from evil aliens. They have a purpose, an origin, a meaning, and all the relevant questions about their nature are deferred to the Kwa. Any notion that they might have emerged somehow from the social and political fabric of the galaxy as it grew is quashed. So I guess it's good this is all gone, eh?
And of course in order to do that, we need superweapons, which can function as extensions of that heroic will. So here we learn (get ready for a big sigh) that the Tho-Yors, the monoliths that brought 8 random alien species to become Jedi, were actually a series of weapons created by the Kwa (an Ancient Alien) species introduced in a Young Jedi Knights book, specifically to destroy the Rakata. And thus, the act of bringing the pre-Jedi Force Sensitives to Tython and creating the Jedi Order was part of the arming procedure for this anti-Rakata weapon. It's. . . I don't like it. I like the idea that the Jedi are a side-effect of some other, unrelated historical process. . . except, is it really a side effect? Or was it part of the weapon in the first place? There's a Kwa holocron guiding all this, after all, implying they were making the Jedi on purpose. I mean IDK if I have to say much more about it than that it's an Ancient Aliens historical theory made literal. What's the origin of the Jedi? They were made by powerful benevolent aliens to protect the galaxy from evil aliens. They have a purpose, an origin, a meaning, and all the relevant questions about their nature are deferred to the Kwa. Any notion that they might have emerged somehow from the social and political fabric of the galaxy as it grew is quashed. So I guess it's good this is all gone, eh?
May 8, 2021
INHALT:
*** Achtung! Es handelt sich um den dritten und letzten Band – evtl. Spoiler zum den vorherigen Bänden vorhanden! ***
Im dritten und letzten Band der „Dawn of the Jedi“-Reihe müssen sich die Je’daii nun dem Angriff der Rakata stellen, den Daegen Lok schon vor langer Zeit in seiner Vision sah. Nach und nach wird aber klar, dass es auf beiden Seiten Verräter gibt und so wird die Schlacht auch zu einem Kräftemesse im Verborgenen.
Außerdem betritt der Leser den sagenumwobenen Spalt auf Tython, aus dem noch nie ein Je’daii zurückkam, ohne dem Wahnsinn zu verfallen. Was wird dort wohl zu finden sein? Da möchte ich gar nicht spoilern, ein Hinweis darauf findet sich aber im chronologisch ersten Roman. Leider kam mir das Ende dann doch etwas abrupt vor, aber dafür konnte der dritte Teil durch seine Handlung, die Charakterentwicklung und erneut durch die Zeichnungen begeistern. Und sogar ein bisschen Romantik wurde eingebaut, was in Star Wars ja nun nicht unbedingt Standard ist.
Es blieb für mich bis zum Ende spannend, ob die Je’daii oder die Rakata die Schlacht für sich entscheiden, denn beides war denkbar. Wie es ausgegangen ist und was aus Xesh, den Je’daii-Gesellen und Daegen Lok wurde, dürft ihr gern selbst herausfinden.
SCHREIBSTIL:
Auch der letzte Band konnte ähnlich wie der zweite begeistern, indem er sehr viel mehr Tiefe zeigte als der Auftakt. Die Dialoge waren zum Glück größtenteils gelungen und es wurden wieder viele Hintergrundinfos geliefert, die für Star-Wars-Fans interessant sind. Ansonsten ist mir aufgefallen, dass sich manchmal ein paar Tippfehler eingeschlichen hatten und ich frage mich, ob bei der Übersetzung, wirklich alles richtig ist. Die Je’daii und auch Daegen Lok und Xesh nennen sich „Bruder“ oder „kleiner/großer Bruder“, was ich irgendwie sehr merkwürdig fand.
FAZIT:
Auch wenn das Ende abrupt war und für mich einige Fragen offen geblieben sind, konnte das Finale mich abholen. Eventuell bin ich jetzt im totalen Star-Wars-Rausch. Es sei mir gegönnt, denn ich habe noch einige Jahre mit diesem Leseprojekt zu tun, vor allem, wenn ich mich jetzt auch noch in die Comics verliebe.
Ein würdiges Finale mit Action, einer Mini-Prise Romantik und wirklich starken Zeichnungen. Konnte mich abholen, obwohl das Ende recht abrupt kam und Fragen offen blieben. Hat mich begeistern können.
November 16, 2022
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Force War abruptly jumps one year after Prisoner of Bogan for some reason. The Je’daii and systems of Tython are in full-swing war with the Rakatan Infinite Empire. In fact, they’ve already conquered and subjugated many planets. Also, Daegen Lok has been taken off Bogan and put in charge of the Je’daii warriors! It would have been nice to see how this happened after they had once more dumped him on Bogan as a lost cause.
The story is good enough but I had problems with some of the aspects of this book; the biggest being Xesh’s character development. I found him pretty interesting in Book 1 and then his slow possible changes in Book 2 as he realized there was more to the Force then just darkness. But when the head Rakatan does the ‘big reveal’ to him aboard his ship and he totally just goes back to the way he was I couldn’t stop the irritation. ‘Oh no, the Je’daii won’t accept me anymore if they knew the things I used to do! Whelp, better just go back to being a slave.’ What?!
It also felt like a hurried wrap-up. We had physical implications for those Force users that heavily used the Dark side in the last battle but it was never brought up by anyone. I guess it was just supposed to hint at what was to come when the Dark side users split off from the Jedi? It was almost like there should have been more issues to this comic series but with the Disney buy-up and cancellation of the EU that wasn’t going to happen so they had to work with what they had.
Overall, I’m glad I read the series. I got enough good parts of where the Jedi Order first began and some of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, that it left me content. I just wish there could have been more.
The story is good enough but I had problems with some of the aspects of this book; the biggest being Xesh’s character development. I found him pretty interesting in Book 1 and then his slow possible changes in Book 2 as he realized there was more to the Force then just darkness. But when the head Rakatan does the ‘big reveal’ to him aboard his ship and he totally just goes back to the way he was I couldn’t stop the irritation. ‘Oh no, the Je’daii won’t accept me anymore if they knew the things I used to do! Whelp, better just go back to being a slave.’ What?!
It also felt like a hurried wrap-up. We had physical implications for those Force users that heavily used the Dark side in the last battle but it was never brought up by anyone. I guess it was just supposed to hint at what was to come when the Dark side users split off from the Jedi? It was almost like there should have been more issues to this comic series but with the Disney buy-up and cancellation of the EU that wasn’t going to happen so they had to work with what they had.
Overall, I’m glad I read the series. I got enough good parts of where the Jedi Order first began and some of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, that it left me content. I just wish there could have been more.
January 18, 2018
This is a review for the whole series (3 volumes)
What I liked most, I think, is that the creative team went with classic fantasy imagery (warrior women with swords on flying dragons, Conan, Red Sonja, that sort of thing) to tell a Star Wars story that takes place over 30,000 years before Yavin (since the Disney purchase, these stories would be considered legends as opposed to pseudo-canon like they were before). That aesthetic is about the only thing that gives the series and characters an "old" feel. Something that consistently bugged me about series was the implausibility of language and technology surviving relatively unchanged for that length of time. Their spacecraft is differently designed but doesn't really look much older than anything from the movies. The squadrons are organized pretty much identically, with squadrons and [color] leaders. 30,000 years ago, humans were learning about fire and hitting each other with sticks. The implication is that once space flight was discovered, technology slowed to almost a stopping point. It's kinda hard to suspend that kind of disbelief. The characters are kind of flat, a sort of "stock Star Wars", and only a handful manage to stick out as unique. The ones that do are interesting to follow, but the result makes for an uneven reading experience, where you relish some storylines and struggle through others.
Overall, I enjoyed reading about one possible imagining of an ancient Star Wars universe, but was ultimately left feeling unfulfilled.
What I liked most, I think, is that the creative team went with classic fantasy imagery (warrior women with swords on flying dragons, Conan, Red Sonja, that sort of thing) to tell a Star Wars story that takes place over 30,000 years before Yavin (since the Disney purchase, these stories would be considered legends as opposed to pseudo-canon like they were before). That aesthetic is about the only thing that gives the series and characters an "old" feel. Something that consistently bugged me about series was the implausibility of language and technology surviving relatively unchanged for that length of time. Their spacecraft is differently designed but doesn't really look much older than anything from the movies. The squadrons are organized pretty much identically, with squadrons and [color] leaders. 30,000 years ago, humans were learning about fire and hitting each other with sticks. The implication is that once space flight was discovered, technology slowed to almost a stopping point. It's kinda hard to suspend that kind of disbelief. The characters are kind of flat, a sort of "stock Star Wars", and only a handful manage to stick out as unique. The ones that do are interesting to follow, but the result makes for an uneven reading experience, where you relish some storylines and struggle through others.
Overall, I enjoyed reading about one possible imagining of an ancient Star Wars universe, but was ultimately left feeling unfulfilled.
December 30, 2024
Adelantamos todo y estamos ya en un estado avanzado de la guerra. El malo de la anterior arco ahora combate con los buenos al mejor estilo Star Wars, pero nos perdimos todo el tiempo entre medio porque creo que Dark Horse estaba por perder las licencias o cancelaron súbitamente todo esto que ya no era canon.
Hay algo interesante en esto de mutar en los estados de la fuerza. Por desgracia siempre se trata de sacrificar el equilibrio para acercarse a las emociones y el lado oscuro. No veo que quiera hacer un entendimiento profundo de lo que significa el equilibrio y menos en las diferencias con el lado luminoso del que no se sabe cuales serian sus características.
Bueno, tiene unos últimos capítulos relativamente interesantes. Hay algunos poderes copados y me gusta su representación en los paneles de las paginas donde Lok pelea contra el predor **Skal'nas**. Pero hablando del “final final”, sigue siendo una caca con tintes incompletos y apurados.
Quizás todas las historias de Star Wars sean arquetípicamente estas luchas binarias, superficiales y donde ya no tengo espacio que habitar como cuando era chico. Pero este es solo el principio dentro del viaje a mis infancias. Veremos que tal sea ahora cuando pase al resto de leyendas.
Hay algo interesante en esto de mutar en los estados de la fuerza. Por desgracia siempre se trata de sacrificar el equilibrio para acercarse a las emociones y el lado oscuro. No veo que quiera hacer un entendimiento profundo de lo que significa el equilibrio y menos en las diferencias con el lado luminoso del que no se sabe cuales serian sus características.
Bueno, tiene unos últimos capítulos relativamente interesantes. Hay algunos poderes copados y me gusta su representación en los paneles de las paginas donde Lok pelea contra el predor **Skal'nas**. Pero hablando del “final final”, sigue siendo una caca con tintes incompletos y apurados.
Quizás todas las historias de Star Wars sean arquetípicamente estas luchas binarias, superficiales y donde ya no tengo espacio que habitar como cuando era chico. Pero este es solo el principio dentro del viaje a mis infancias. Veremos que tal sea ahora cuando pase al resto de leyendas.
June 7, 2017
Issue #1
I liked this issue steeped in war. This was definitely an action packed issue with head flying all over the place. There were also quite a few reveals and a romance of sorts on the rise. There was also what I thought to be a romance but looks a little fizzle at the moment. The art still as beautiful with great depictions of emotion. great issue!
Issue #2
A really good continuation with some good action but most setup. I really enjoy the art and the character development is consistent as well. It leaves a very good cliff hanger which urges you to read on.
Issue #3
Well it look like Xesh has a death sentenced by a fee jedii. The story continues to move along as you can see it coming to a head. Rakata are some of the oddest lookjng creatures in the star wars universe. The also perpetuate why the darkside is so unsuccessful. This was another good story with excellent art.
Issue #4
The attack is on with many becoming one with the force with every swing of the light saber. I am waiting for a twist when it comes to Xesh and Trill. I a curious about many others fate after this issue as well. This has been more than enjoyable and I love how the character personalities came across in this series. Now for the ending!
Issue #5
This was a good ending to the series but not great. I was hoping for more loose ends to be tied up. I thought they left to many stones unturned. This may have been done with the attention of more stories later. I will say Lok is say cocky with a huge chip on his shoulder. The rest of the end was some what predictable but I am a sucker for super weapons.
I liked this issue steeped in war. This was definitely an action packed issue with head flying all over the place. There were also quite a few reveals and a romance of sorts on the rise. There was also what I thought to be a romance but looks a little fizzle at the moment. The art still as beautiful with great depictions of emotion. great issue!
Issue #2
A really good continuation with some good action but most setup. I really enjoy the art and the character development is consistent as well. It leaves a very good cliff hanger which urges you to read on.
Issue #3
Well it look like Xesh has a death sentenced by a fee jedii. The story continues to move along as you can see it coming to a head. Rakata are some of the oddest lookjng creatures in the star wars universe. The also perpetuate why the darkside is so unsuccessful. This was another good story with excellent art.
Issue #4
The attack is on with many becoming one with the force with every swing of the light saber. I am waiting for a twist when it comes to Xesh and Trill. I a curious about many others fate after this issue as well. This has been more than enjoyable and I love how the character personalities came across in this series. Now for the ending!
Issue #5
This was a good ending to the series but not great. I was hoping for more loose ends to be tied up. I thought they left to many stones unturned. This may have been done with the attention of more stories later. I will say Lok is say cocky with a huge chip on his shoulder. The rest of the end was some what predictable but I am a sucker for super weapons.
June 24, 2025
The final volume of the ambitious Dawn of the Jedi series leaves me with mixed feelings. While still visually stunning as ever, the story bears the unfortunate marks of external pressures - finalized after the decision to cancel and reboot the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe. The authors clearly wanted to provide some resolution to the established narrative, but having only one last arc to tie up numerous loose ends inevitably makes this feel rushed.
Gone are the fascinating character and world-building elements that defined the previous two volumes; this one is essentially all action from start to finish. Most character arcs are cut disappointingly short and many of the more nuanced elements hinted at previously never reach their payoff. Still, Ostrander managed to make the most of these less-than-ideal circumstances and provided serviceable closure to a series that clearly had the potential to be so much more.
Dawn of the Jedi serves as a fascinating glimpse into the endless potential of Star Wars storytelling, and I certainly hope future creators will pick up this era and develop it further down the line.
Gone are the fascinating character and world-building elements that defined the previous two volumes; this one is essentially all action from start to finish. Most character arcs are cut disappointingly short and many of the more nuanced elements hinted at previously never reach their payoff. Still, Ostrander managed to make the most of these less-than-ideal circumstances and provided serviceable closure to a series that clearly had the potential to be so much more.
Dawn of the Jedi serves as a fascinating glimpse into the endless potential of Star Wars storytelling, and I certainly hope future creators will pick up this era and develop it further down the line.
February 21, 2020
Czytając takie historie zastanawiam się, czy Disney nie podjął słusznej decyzji, żeby zrestartować uniwersum. Z drugiej strony widząc historie wychodzące aktualnie od Disneya mam te same wątpliwości. Coraz prostsze i durniejsze wątki fabularne sprawiają, że coraz większe mam wrażenie, że ktoś po prostu chce łatwo zarobić na fanach uniwersum. I strasznie robi mi się przykro, ponieważ historia miała faktycznie kilka ciekawych motywów, które można było wykorzystać ciekawiej, a koniec końców musiałem doczytywać o wszystkich brakach na ossusie i wookiepedii. Wreszcie historia wyrwała się z mielonego bez końca okresu znanego z filmów, więc możliwości było multum, a mimo wszysto fabuła wyszła. Wróć, fabuła nie powstała...
Bohaterowie w historii są szarzy, w żaden sposób nie byłem w stanie poczuć do nich ani sympatii, ani empatii, ani nawet negatywnych odczuć. Po prostu byli. Mimo, że ostatnią część skończyłem kilkanaście minut temu, nawet nie jestem w stanie sobie przypomnieć imion bohaterów.
Mam nadzieję, że Era Starej Republiki będzie ciekawsza niż Świt Jedi. Trzymam kciuki
Bohaterowie w historii są szarzy, w żaden sposób nie byłem w stanie poczuć do nich ani sympatii, ani empatii, ani nawet negatywnych odczuć. Po prostu byli. Mimo, że ostatnią część skończyłem kilkanaście minut temu, nawet nie jestem w stanie sobie przypomnieć imion bohaterów.
Mam nadzieję, że Era Starej Republiki będzie ciekawsza niż Świt Jedi. Trzymam kciuki
January 2, 2018
"This is not treachery... this is rebellion!"
With this one I had more or less the same feelings as with previous volumes. The art is great, the narrative is strong (although a bit confusing or rushed sometimes) and there is much enjoyment in the pages, but they still lack something. Probably this is the best volume of the series and the most engaging, despite sharing all the same problems (lack of originality, seeming to be dated around BY), and as a standalone comic it is much better than as the final volume of the series. The Rakata empire arc could have been closed much better, and we still knew more about the Je'daii, their predecesors and Tython in issue #0 of the series than in the development of them; still, as this was published during a time when Dark Horse lost SW licenses and had to close collections before Marvel got in charge of the universe, it is probably the strongest final volume we could hope for.
With this one I had more or less the same feelings as with previous volumes. The art is great, the narrative is strong (although a bit confusing or rushed sometimes) and there is much enjoyment in the pages, but they still lack something. Probably this is the best volume of the series and the most engaging, despite sharing all the same problems (lack of originality, seeming to be dated around BY), and as a standalone comic it is much better than as the final volume of the series. The Rakata empire arc could have been closed much better, and we still knew more about the Je'daii, their predecesors and Tython in issue #0 of the series than in the development of them; still, as this was published during a time when Dark Horse lost SW licenses and had to close collections before Marvel got in charge of the universe, it is probably the strongest final volume we could hope for.
March 15, 2019
This is one of the very last non-Disney Star Wars stories to come into existence and certainly goes out with the big bang. Set one year after the events of Prisoner of Bogdan. This was a terrific finale chock-full of exciting action, double-crosses and some very interesting developments. I liked how there was more detail in the back-story, but at no time was it to the detriment to the main story. There were also a couple of really interesting relational developments, particularly between Shae Koda and Xesh and, more surprisingly, between Trill and Sek'nos Rath.
The action was pretty full-on throughout, though the low-casualty-rate of named characters did take a bit of the suspense out of it. Apart from that little niggle, I really enjoyed this story and am saddened that this is it. The story did wrap up the trilogy, but there was certainly scope for more from this era and with these characters.
The action was pretty full-on throughout, though the low-casualty-rate of named characters did take a bit of the suspense out of it. Apart from that little niggle, I really enjoyed this story and am saddened that this is it. The story did wrap up the trilogy, but there was certainly scope for more from this era and with these characters.
April 19, 2023
2nd graphic novel ever read. I opted to read it after book two even though i realized the error of my ways and hadn’t read book 1 of the series but another book by the same title. But, I had this book in hand so decided instead of going 2,1,3 I’d go 2,3,1. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. What I like: the amount of story I get in such a quick read, the visual aids, and the instant gratification of getting a read done in a day.
As a life guard I get an 3-4 1/2 hour breaks per shift meaning I can usually finish a book in a day and it’s easily to pick up and put down.
I really want to understand the cartoons and movies better so I want to read the canon books BUT at the same time I want to know the history and how this whole thing started so I’m kind of doing both it time line order (ish).
Anyway I’ll probably be more confused and also understand better by the end of it lol.
As a life guard I get an 3-4 1/2 hour breaks per shift meaning I can usually finish a book in a day and it’s easily to pick up and put down.
I really want to understand the cartoons and movies better so I want to read the canon books BUT at the same time I want to know the history and how this whole thing started so I’m kind of doing both it time line order (ish).
Anyway I’ll probably be more confused and also understand better by the end of it lol.
September 2, 2019
Entertaining & Satisfying conclusion to the Dawn of Jedi series.
This book has the same team which did the previous volume, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 2: Prisoner of Bogan, the continuation works as the plot, storytelling and the art are as good as the older volume, if not better.
A pleasing read, we get to see the early Jedi adopting the Forcesabers and their first major battle for survival, this book got an overdose of action, from start to finish. The series ends in an interesting note, on what may be the start of the first divide between the dark and light side.
This book has the same team which did the previous volume, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 2: Prisoner of Bogan, the continuation works as the plot, storytelling and the art are as good as the older volume, if not better.
A pleasing read, we get to see the early Jedi adopting the Forcesabers and their first major battle for survival, this book got an overdose of action, from start to finish. The series ends in an interesting note, on what may be the start of the first divide between the dark and light side.
August 21, 2023
I couldn't fully enjoy the journey that was Dawn of the Jedi for the trepidation that the ending would not fully live up to the potential of the story. I shouldn't have been worried.
This is now definitively my favourite Star Wars media of any kind. I have fallen off any of the current Disney projects excempting a vague interest in The High Republic, but if Dawn of the Jedi is ever adapted into a show or movie I will be fully on board.
In short, for those who have not experienced this masterpiece; it takes the mysterious origins of the Jedi and creates an origin story that fulfils all of the potential that that mystical mystery could have warranted.
This is now definitively my favourite Star Wars media of any kind. I have fallen off any of the current Disney projects excempting a vague interest in The High Republic, but if Dawn of the Jedi is ever adapted into a show or movie I will be fully on board.
In short, for those who have not experienced this masterpiece; it takes the mysterious origins of the Jedi and creates an origin story that fulfils all of the potential that that mystical mystery could have warranted.
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July 16, 2024It is always so unclear when/if someone dies it's kind of funny
Some of the panels look incredibly cool and I like the quote "This is not betrayal. This is rebellion." because I feel like often times characters speak of betrayal when it's just someone finally standing up for themselves or even more simply just doing what they always wanted and by doing that they might have to leave the person that calls them a betrayer behind. ... I don't think I'm phrasing this well but I hope people understand what I mean. It is a little cheesy of a line but I think it fits.
Some of the panels look incredibly cool and I like the quote "This is not betrayal. This is rebellion." because I feel like often times characters speak of betrayal when it's just someone finally standing up for themselves or even more simply just doing what they always wanted and by doing that they might have to leave the person that calls them a betrayer behind. ... I don't think I'm phrasing this well but I hope people understand what I mean. It is a little cheesy of a line but I think it fits.
July 26, 2020
It's an ok wrap-up to the series, although it wrapped up really quickly. Kind of neatly tied up in a bow. Kind of felt like a weird crossover with Stargate or something.
I wish they'd brought in more with the characters from Into the Void, but I think that's about where Disney acquired everything and they never fleshed that part of the story out any more. Too bad, because there were some interesting multi-faceted characters to work with, not to mention the development of the lightsabers.
I wish they'd brought in more with the characters from Into the Void, but I think that's about where Disney acquired everything and they never fleshed that part of the story out any more. Too bad, because there were some interesting multi-faceted characters to work with, not to mention the development of the lightsabers.
August 7, 2024
The only arc of this comic series that I actually enjoyed reading, and so I completed it the same day I started it. Although still stiff and weak overall, the writing is stronger here, and the action and large events make this the single point of value in this series for me. Without it, I'd consider the series a waste of time. Just a tragedy that the series couldn't come to a more natural conclusion fully exploring the Force Wars thanks to Disney handing the comic licenses to Marvel.
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